Advanced Massage And Bodywork Clinics

Bodily aches and pains take the fun out of living. Often they come from too much sitting in front of the computer or driving in a car. Sometimes they're from unusual activity, like cleaning the gutters or double-digging the vegetable garden. Advanced massage and bodywork is called for when persistent pain limits physical activity or interferes with normal pursuits.

Youth is usually a time of mindless enjoyment of flexibility, energy, and freedom from care. Later on, bodies that once were taken for granted cease to work so smoothly: joints creak, muscles get stiff, backs refuse to straighten up. Tasks that were easy become difficult or even impossible. People can accept this as inevitable or do something about it. Some choose medication, which carries its own risks. A more positive approach involves one or more of the many forms of manual therapy.

There are good reasons for this decline. One is limited circulation that comes from a sedentary lifestyle, another is too much stress on an on-going basis, and another is injury. Sometimes people can't pinpoint when the problem started. For example, a person might slip on an icy parking lot but save themselves from falling. In the process, a small muscle in the back that responds to the instinctive call for balance may fail to return to its proper position. After the incident has been forgotten, the person notices a new ache that doesn't go away and may worsen over time.

Massage therapists are trained to find such tight muscles and relieve the tension that holds the spine and rib cage out of alignment. Muscles are strong connective tissues which can pull bones out of position. Manual therapy uses pressure, stroking, stretching, and kneading to relax superficial muscles and deep-seated connective tissue to restore optimum balance and posture.

People have forgotten how to relax or what it feels like to live without tension in neck, shoulders, and back. A relaxing session helps the body heal itself. It also reduces stress, which begins as an emotional response but affects physical health in negative ways. Human touch is healing in itself, and the skill of the masseuse magnifies the benefits.

Going beyond this initial relaxing stage is necessary in cases of injury or chronic pain. After muscles are relaxed, specific areas of concern are further manipulated to promote healing. Sports injuries, back pain, joint immobility, and arthritis all benefit from regular sessions with a skilled therapist. For the ill or elderly, lymphatic drainage helps boost the immune system and the body's natural healing power. The lymph flow in the body is 'pumped' by physical movement, but it can be enhanced by massaging.

Surface massaging helps people relax and can also make them feel energized. Deeper tissues respond to other kinds of manual manipulation. When adhesions are loosened, pain is reduced and mobility is enhanced. Restoring circulation to the area allows the bloodstream to carry nutrients and oxygen that cells need for repair and renewal.

Fitness and flexibility training is part of bodywork. Stronger muscles support the skeletal system and internal organs and help all bodily systems to function. Often joint mobility depends on regular exercise suited to the physical needs and abilities of each individual. An marked increase in total well-being comes from the services massage and bodywork centers have to offer for stress relief, pain management, better circulation, and increased mobility. Once people realize how much better they can feel, they may be more willing to help themselves rather than depend on pharmaceutical drugs.